1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a table editing apparatus for supporting the editing of tabular documents.
2. Description of the Related Art
Where tables were edited by conventional word processors or the like, it was often a user""s task to define intervals between cell boundaries (i.e., ruled lines and cell edges). That is, when creating a table, the user adjusted and determined cell boundary intervals for optimum tabular appearance in consideration of line feeds in the cells. Illustratively, Japanese Published Examined Patent Application No. Hei 7-54516 discloses a method for supporting a user in creating tables by relocating cell boundaries for cell boundary adjustment. While offering the advantage of allowing the user to control individual cell boundaries as desired, the disclosed method can be demanding and time-consuming when applied to editing work.
Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Applications Nos. Hei 7-334490 and Hei 10-55397 disclose apparatuses for automatically determining cell boundary intervals in tables. The apparatuses discussed in the two publications are apparently capable of obtaining appropriate cell boundary intervals based on the relative positional relationships between cell boundaries and on the contents to be laid out in each cell of the table in question. In making use of one of these apparatuses, the user need only determine the relative positional relations between cell boundaries as well as the contents to be laid out in each cell of the table. The apparatus then automatically determines suitable cell boundary intervals to provide a good-looking table.
In creating a table, the user may conceivably utilize a word processor as an instrument for designating the relative positional relationships between cell boundaries as well as the contents to be laid out in the cells of the table. That is, the user employing the word processor for tabular editing organizes the relative positional relationships between cell boundaries and specifies the contents to be arranged in the cells of the table. This way of creating tables is as useful as conventional tabulating methods by allowing the user to create a table using a word processor but is more advantageous in that the user need not define detailed cell boundary intervals for good tabular appearance. In that respect, the user is less burdened with tabulating chores than before.
However, even with the use of word processors or the like to designate cell boundaries, there is a possibility that table editing work done by the conventional method using a word processor can result in a waste of time because only relative positional relations between cell boundaries are needed for the automatic creation of a table. FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a typical trouble experienced during conventional table editing work. Suppose that a cell boundary indicated by a broken line arrow in FIG. 2 is moved right to create a tabular makeup of FIG. 3. Although the interval between cell boundaries have changed from FIG. 2 to FIG. 3, the relative positional relation between the boundaries remains unchanged. In other words, although the interval between one cell boundary pointed to by the broken line arrow and another cell boundary designated by a solid line arrow has changed, the fact that one boundary arrowed by the broken line is located to the left of another boundary arrowed by a solid line (i.e., relative positional relationship) remains unmodified. This means that even if relative positional relations between cell boundaries and the contents of the cells are extracted from each table and input to an apparatus capable of automatically determining intervals between tabular cell boundaries, the resulting tables are structurally identical with each other. That is the editing work performed in FIG. 2 through FIG. 3 is a pure waste of time with no effects on the ultimately obtained table.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and provides a table editing apparatus for allowing users to edit tables in an easy-to-use operating environment by sparing them wasteful editing work in determining relative positional relations between cell boundaries.
In carrying out the invention and according to one aspect thereof, there is provided a table editing apparatus including a cell boundary holding unit that holds cell boundaries, a cell boundary movement designating unit that designates a cell boundary to be moved and a direction in which to move the cell boundary, a cell boundary position coincidence judging unit that, if the cell boundary designated by the cell boundary movement designating unit is a vertical (horizontal) cell boundary, judges whether or not there exists in the cell boundary holding unit any other cell boundary which is vertical (horizontal) in direction and which has the same horizontal (vertical) position as the designated cell boundary and a cell boundary moving unit that moves the cell boundary designated by the cell boundary movement designating unit.